A Bee's Perspective - Volume 3
by BEtheLEAF44
Summary: The Vytal Festival Tournament is finally here but will our bees ever admit their feelings for one another?
1. Chapter 1

The Vytal Festival Tournament had officially kicked off. It would serve as the conclusion to the 40th Vytal Festival, an international celebration held every two years in one of the Kingdoms of Remnant. Vale was the host kingdom this time round, and Beacon Academy opened its doors for students of the other Huntsmen academies, boarding those who wished to compete.

The tournament matches were held in the spectacular Amity Colosseum, an enormous floating stadium filled with spectators. This morning, Team RWBY triumphantly completed their first match of the tournament, a 4-on-4 team round. In the next stage, two members from their team would fight in a 2-on-2 doubles round. If they were successful with that, Yang would represent their team in the 1-on-1 singles round. The overall winner of the tournament would receive prestigious honor for their kingdom.

Blake—who just inelegantly downed a large meal of noodles and fish—sat with her team alongside Team JNPR to celebrate their recent victory at a little food hut in the fairgrounds. She was glad to have helped her teammates move up to the next stage, especially seeing how hard Yang had been training since their incident with Roman Torchwick's train a couple of weeks ago.

Though she was happy to have helped, she was glad to be done with fighting with all those eyes watching. She wasn't like Yang who thrived under all that attention. It was part of the reason why she didn't say her own name when the team casted votes on who would represent Team RWBY in the doubles round. That, plus both Yang and Weiss were excellent fighters, proving as much by being some of the top competitors in the sparring sessions Glynda Goodwich held throughout the second term.

Professor Port's voice sounded on an intercom. "Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!"

"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!" Dr. Oobleck bellowed shortly after.

"Well, it looks like this is it," Pyrrha said as she and her team headed for the stadium.

"Go get 'em!" Ruby called after them.

Shortly after, Team RWBY made their own way towards the port of flying ships so they could shuttle back up to the arena and cheer on their friends. As they approached, Team ABRN of Haven -the team they just recently defeated- made their way towards them.

Their leader, Arslan Altan came up to Ruby and Yang. "I just wanted to say that your team fought valiantly and there are no hard feelings."

"Thanks!" Ruby blurted. "It was so much fun and you guys did great!"

"Yeah!" Yang agreed. "You really gave me a run for my money."

Arslan smirked. "Would you mind if I had a word?" She asked to Yang.

Surprise crossed the blonde's features, but she immediately shook it off. "Sure." They walked a little ways away while the rest of the two teams chitchatted.

Blake didn't mean to pry, but she couldn't help her heightened hearing.

"You're a really good fighter," she heard the platinum-haired girl say.

Yang beamed. "Thanks! You've got some moves yourself!"

"I'm glad you think so… I'd love to show you some of my _other_ moves sometime."

"Oh!" Yang exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Arslan gave her a flirtatious smile. "I mean, I thought it would be me to come out on top, but after today, I don't mind if it's you."

Talk about coming on strong, but Blake guessed that was just her personality. The Faunus couldn't help but feel a bit envious, wishing she could be so bold at times, along with a twinge of jealousy at the way she was looking at Yang. Her stomach was in knots waiting for her partner's response.

"Listen Arslan, believe me I'm flattered, but-"

"Oh my god you're straight," Arslan blurted as her cocoa skin turned a dark shade of red around her cheeks.

"Right Blake?" Ruby's voice cut in.

"Huh?" Blake fumbled, tearing her gaze away to look at her leader. "I'm sorry what?"

"Reese was saying how cool it was when you used your clone as a distraction to knock her out."

"Right... thanks," she smiled at Reese. Yang and Arslan rejoined their group then. Blake couldn't help but give her partner a sidelong look and wonder if Yang would be open to dating women. For herself, she came to terms with being attracted to another woman weeks ago. It's not like she'd ever act on her feelings however, partly because she feared it would ruin their friendship, and mostly because she didn't feel worthy of Yang's affection.

"Well, I hope to see you all in the future," Arslan said flashing a smile and turning to leave with her team. Blake didn't miss the wink she casted to Yang before she left and the blonde offered an impish smirk.

They continued to walk and reached the port. "What did Arslan want Yang?" Weiss asked as an airship's ramp opened towards them.

"Nothing special," Yang replied not meeting anyone's eyes. She made her way inside the ship. "Just some stuff about training."

Team RWBY cheered on both Team JNPR and Sun's team during their fights. To Blake's delight, both were victorious and would move on to the doubles round.

Ruby sagged back in her seat and sighed once Team SSSN was crowned the winner of their match. "Ugh. That was so close," she breathed.

"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round," Yang said to Blake who was seated right beside her.

Blake watched Sun and Neptune in the middle of the arena dancing jovially. The Faunus boy looked right at her and gave her a double-gun gesture with his fingers and a wink. Blake, who couldn't help but be bashful at the sudden attention, blushed. Then, she rolled her eyes playfully and smiled at him. "Emphasis on dork," she replied while Yang cut her a strange expression that she couldn't place. The blonde quickly turned away before she could analyze it further.

"That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Colosseum IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!" Doctor Oobleck ordered on the loudspeaker causing everyone to flinch.

"Come on, let's go congratulate 'em," Yang suggested.

* * *

Later that evening, Yang, Blake, and the rest of Team JNPR enjoyed the attractions of the fairgrounds while Ruby went with Weiss to greet her sister after the heiress spotted her ship flying in. They all watched as Nora made a show of walking up to a platform heaving a large mallet over her shoulder. She planted her feet then swung the object with two hands in a fine arch over her head striking her target. The one-ton weight blasted up a 30-foot vertical tower, crunching the bell situated at the top into a crumpled mess. The game operator gave Nora a provoking glare.

"Whoops! Oh well, at least it didn't fly off!" Nora exclaimed, not looking perturbed in the slightest. He grumpily gestured for her to take a prize and she opted for a stuffed Grimm Beowulf. She strutted back to the group, prize in tow. "Here Ren! Got this for you," she squealed.

The boy hesitated but eventually accepted the prize with a tame smile. "Thanks."

"Aw don't look so down Yang, there are plenty of other games I can beat you at," she baited. The pink-haired girl enjoyed competing with the blonde, especially since Yang's strength matched her own.

Yang smiled fiercely. "Bring it on!" She challenged.

"Not this again," Jaune muttered. "You two get way too competitive."

"Nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry," Yang said.

"Yeah well, I'm gonna get a funnel cake," Jaune announced.

At the mention of food, Nora's stomach erupted into a loud wail. "Oh! Snack break!" She motioned towards the food huts. "And when that's over, I'll be happy to kick your butt, Yang!"

The brawler shook her head in amusement at Nora. "You guys go ahead. I think I'll stay here."

"Me too," Blake agreed.

"See ya!" Nora called trailing her team.

Yang eyed her teammate. "Wanna play something?"

"Sure."

"Care to make things interesting?" She prompted with a mischievous look.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Let's each pick a game and whoever gets the bigger prize, wins!"

Blake shrugged. "Okay."

"What do you want if you win?"

The raven-haired girl pressed her fingers to her mouth deep in thought. "If I win… I get to drive your motorcycle."

Yang stiffened, her eyes widened as if her partner had just plunged a knife into her heart. "Do you even know how to drive a motorcycle?" She asked skeptically.

"Nope," Blake said with a sly smile, driving the knife in further.

"Fine," the blonde said through gritted teeth after several tense seconds. "But if I win, you have to let Zwei sleep with you in your bed tonight."

Much to Yang's pleasure, the Faunus shot her a loathsome look. "Fine."

"Let's flip to decide who goes first. Heads or Tails?"

"Heads," replied Blake.

Yang took a coin out and flipped it into the air. She caught it revealing the Tails side and grinned wolfishly. "You go first."

Blake grimaced. She made her way around the fairground, stopping in front of a booth with a shooting range. "What do you do?" She asked the operator.

A thin man with a large moustache smiled at her. "Why, it's a game of aim and precision, missy," he informed gesturing to the handgun on the table. The range consisted of six spinning windmill style targets. Each windmill had three discs: a small red one, a medium yellow one, and a large green one. "It's easy enough. Yeh get six shots, one for each windmill. If yeh hit a disc, it'll illuminate," he explained. "The red ones get yeh the most points, but any hit in my book is a win." He winked.

The Faunus set her money on the table and Yang felt pretty good about her odds since the discs were spinning at such a fast rate. She wondered how anyone could land a hit.

Blake picked up the handgun to examine it. "Nothin' to fear young lady," the operator assured. "Those are simulated paint rounds, they won't harm yeh. However, they'll shoot like the real thing."

"Good to know," Blake said.

"Whenever yer ready!" He encouraged.

Blake placed the weapon on fire and took aim. Smoothly, she fired off six successive shots. Yang and the operator's mouth fell open, gawking at the board once they realized that all the red targets had illuminated.

"Why… I've never seen that before," the operator admitted, stroking his moustache.

Yang met her teammates' smug smile with incredulity. "I feel played!" She roared.

The Belladonna girl placed the weapon on safe, dropped the magazine, and locked the slide back to clear the weapon before placing it back on the table. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to make things interesting," she reminded eyes dancing with amusement. "Well… it just got interesting."

"Which prize do yeh want, missy?" The moustache man gestured to the hanging stuffed animals above.

Blake looked up towards the prizes then flashed Yang a feline smile. "The cat," she purred.

Dread bombarded the brawler when he handed her the large stuffed animal. The blonde took off, frantically searching the fairgrounds for a booth with a larger prize. She spotted an enormous Grimm Ursa stuffed animal from afar and made a beeline towards it with Blake following behind her, tickled by her partner's antics. "How do I get it?" She demanded to the person behind the booth, pointing a finger at the prize.

A petite girl with short auburn hair looked up from her Scroll looking bored. She gestured to a huge metal wall behind her with roughly two-dozen holes scattered around it. "You see those openings?"

Yang nodded. "Yup."

"Game is called Whack-A-Ursa. You have thirty seconds to strike as many as possible when they poke out. Each strike is a point." She gestured to the prize Yang wanted. "That needs fifty points."

Yang slammed her money on the table then marched into the game zone. A large timer above read thirty seconds next to a scoreboard with double zeros. The brawler took a ready stance.

"Ready?" The petite girl asked.

"Let's do this," Yang replied. The clock counted down: three, two, one.

The blonde sprang to action as several stuffed Ursa popped out at once. She jabbed one, then went straight into a roundhouse kick for another. Seeing one above, she jumped into the air striking it with an uppercut and spun into a back fist for one more on her way down. She quickly landed blows on several more checking her score and the time. Ten seconds had passed, and so far she'd gotten seventeen.

Yang groaned. She was cutting it close and needed to move faster. In a quick motion, the brawler extended the bracelets on her wrists down to her forearms, activating her gauntlets. Using the recoil from her weapons to accelerate her movements enabled her to strike more targets across the board.

Yang was feeling pretty good about her odds until the clock hit the ten-second mark. She whiffed a kick, missing her target and realized the speed at which the Ursa popped out increased to almost a blur. It became a guessing game as she threw out strikes to random holes in the hope of landing a hit. Miraculously, she was able to get several more.

The time hit the three-second mark and the brawler set her sights on her last target. There was no way in hell she'd let herself miss this one. Her eyes blazed red, then she gave the final Ursa an astronomical cross causing the whole wall to collapse backwards with a heavy crash.

The petite girl rolled her eyes and grumbled something incoherent as she hit a button springing the board upright to its previous position. Once the score at the top revealed '50 points,' Yang tossed her teammate the most audacious smile she could muster. Her partner shot her a look back full of indignation and disbelief that was probably meant to intimidate the blonde, but instead she thought the Faunus never looked so cute.

Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "A deal is a deal."

**Notes:**

Anyone else get mad sapphic vibes from Arslan Altan. It may just be me lol but I'm going to run with it.

Anywho, I always pictured the fairground carnival games being on crack with all those Huntsmen students


	2. Chapter 2

Early the next morning in bed, Blake clung to a warm body pressed against her chest with delight. Sensing that she wasn't alone, she apprehensively opened her eyes meeting two gray pools staring affectionately back at her. "Ugh," she grumbled. The little dog offered a quick lick to her nose that made her face scrunch, but she nuzzled canine tighter anyway. "Just don't tell anyone," she warned.

"He won't, but I'm not making any promises," Yang said dangling her head from the top bunk. She pointed her Scroll towards the two snuggle buddies and quickly snapped a picture. "Aw, now that's just priceless," she goaded.

Blake closed her eyes; not bothering to glower at her partner since she knew those looks had little to no effect on the blonde. "I hope you're happy," she muttered.

Yang jumped down from her bed. "Oh, trust me, there are no words. Plus, now I know that you're a cuddler."

Blake kept her eyes closed, not knowing how to respond to that and heard Ruby and Weiss stirring in their sleep.

She felt her partner take a seat at the foot of her bed. "Hey, do you want to grab an early breakfast with me?" She asked in a quieter voice. "I wanted to do something with you before we catch Coco and Yatsuhashi's match."

"Um? Sure," Blake responded surprised. She extricated herself from Zwei who gave her a sad puppy dog look. She gingerly patted his head, which seemed to appease the little dog.

"Now you guys are besties," Yang teased.

The Faunus rolled her eyes and stood from her bed. Her brows knit as something catches her eye on the top bunk. "Were you reading… a book?"

The blonde scratched the base of her hairline almost uncomfortably. "Yeah, sometimes I do that."

"What book?"

"The one about the guy with two souls."

"Huh…" It was the only word Blake could muster in her surprised state.

"I like it," Yang ensured. "Who knows, maybe sometime you'll let me read "Ninjas of Love," a snarky smile coated her expression.

Blake's cheeks burned like the sun. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she exclaimed as quietly as possible while turning abruptly for the door. When she reached it, she tossed Yang a look over her shoulder before walking out. "Maybe one day," she grinned cheekily.

Yang returned her smile and they got ready for breakfast. Once they were seated in the dining hall, Blake picked up her coffee mug and looked at her partner. "So what did you want to do?" She asked, taking a sip.

Yang picked up a piece of toast to butter it. "I'm going to show you how to operate a motorcycle."

Blake nearly choked on her coffee. "What?" She managed to ask after coughing. "Weren't you about to have a heart attack yesterday at the mere thought of me riding your bike?"

"I didn't say anything about driving it," Yang clarified, pointing a fork full of eggs at her teammate. "You can learn the controls without having to drive."

"And why are we having this lesson?"

"In case we have any future bets regarding my bike… it will help me sleep better at night knowing you at least know the controls."

Blake chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Why'd you choose to ride my motorcycle as a bet anyway?" The blonde inquired.

Blake picked up her own toast. "I've always liked them. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get one."

"Well, you've got the best teacher in town," Yang winked.

Once they finished their food, Yang led her to the garage that housed Bumblebee. She cruised the bike with Blake out to the edge of the school's access road and killed the engine. They dismounted and the blonde described the bike's buttons and controls.

"Have a seat," Yang said, gesturing towards the bike. Blake did so, and the brawler had her partner explain the bike's throttle, brakes, clutch, and gearshift; making sure she understood what each one did. Then, she had Blake go through the motions of turning on the bike and putting it in the Neutral position and shifting to 1st gear. "You're a quick study," Yang praised after several perfect dry runs. "I've tried all of this with Ruby a couple of times, but she gets into her head and fumbles a bit."

Blake flushed slightly at the compliment. "Thanks," she replied. "You are a good teacher."

Yang smiled. "Alright, now we'll turn the engine on and you'll see how the clutch feels when it starts to disengage, but don't hit the throttle."

"Okay," Blake acknowledged as she turned on the engine while pulling on the clutch and ensured it was in the Neutral position. She switched to 1st gear and let out the clutch but she must have done it too quickly since the engine cut off.

"That's okay," Yang assured while tapping the clutch with her hand. "Now you know that's too fast. Try it again, but slower." The Faunus nodded and tried again. This time the bike eased forward and she applied pressure on the brake to stop. "Good," the brawler commended. "Keep doing that until you get the feel of it."

The amber-eyed girl practiced for several minutes until she felt comfortable finding the sweet spot Yang talked about while the brawler waited for her patiently. "I think I finally got it," she said with a smile.

"I think you do too. Well, now I guess you can see how it feels to ride in 1st gear."

Blake's eyes widened. "Huh? I thought I was just learning the controls?"

"Believe me, I'm surprising myself by suggesting it, but I think you're ready." She grabbed them both a helmet and took a seat behind her partner.

When the blonde placed her arms around Blake's waist, the amber-eyed girl's whole body stiffened and she began to regret ever wanting to drive the motorcycle. How the hell did Yang expect her to concentrate when the blonde's body was pressed up to hers like that? "I- I don't know," she uttered not wanting to crash her partner's beloved bike.

Yang loosened her hold to lean back slightly causing Blake to become hyperaware of her partner's touch as soft hands grazed down her midriff. "Don't worry, just take it slow," Yang coaxed.

That soothing tone caused goose bumps to erupt all over Blake's skin. _Get it together_, she repeated to herself inwardly while she closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Once her heart slowed down, she offered a firm nod to Yang, not bothering to risk her voice betraying her with a verbal answer.

Yang regained her hold and Blake began to coast in 1st gear. "Hey, you've got it!" The blonde cheered. The raven-haired girl smiled then cruised the bike down the road covered with fallen autumn leaves and back. Once she stopped, she cut off the engine and they both dismounted. "That was great! Next time I'll show you how to shift to up to 2nd gear and back down to 1st."

Blake gave her an appreciative smile. "You're going to let me drive again?"

"Yeah, you're a natural. You'll be riding in no time."

"We'll see," Blake smiled.

"Count on it, and who knows, maybe you could teach me to fire a handgun sometime."

Blake's expression became quizzical. "You… want to learn… how to shoot… from me?" The words came out slowly considering she couldn't believe she was speaking them.

"Why not? You made it look like fun yesterday and it couldn't hurt adding that to my arsenal right?" Yang replied openly.

"Sure. Yeah." She agreed still disoriented at the request.

"Um… there's something I wanted to talk to you about," she heard Yang say, pulling her out of the puzzling thoughts.

The Faunus brought her focus back to her partner. The girl looked uncharacteristically nervous and vulnerable. "Of course," she reassured.

The blonde seemed to be having an inner battle but she finally cleared her throat. "I-" She was cut off at the sound of her Scroll's ringtone. When she pulled it out, Ruby's face showed on the screen.

"Sorry," she pardoned before turning away to answer the call. "Hey Rube… okay, got it. Bye." She faced her partner again. "Ruby says she and Weiss will be at the port in ten minutes," she sighed. "We can talk about it later."

"Are you sure?"

A tepid smile came across her lips. "Yeah."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Yang sat with her team in Amity Colosseum to watch Sun and his teammate Scarlet David in their doubles match. Thoughts of her almost confession to Blake earlier had plagued her for most of Coco and Yatsuhashi's fight, not realizing they had lost to Mercury and Emerald until the announcer boomed overhead.

Her distraction continued as the memory of her conversation with Arslan yesterday engrossed her mind.

"Listen Arslan, believe me I'm flattered, but-"

"Oh my god you're straight," Arslan blurted with a fierce blush.

Yang smiled in an attempt to assuage the other woman. "I'm not really big on labels," she divulged. "It's just…" Her eyes unintentionally looked towards Blake who was talking to Ruby.

Arslan followed her gaze and must have seen something in those lilac eyes. "She has no clue that you're crazy about her, does she?" The platinum-hair girl observed.

"No freakin' clue," Yang agreed.

"Sooo… why don't you tell her?"

The brawler brought her gaze back to Arslan. "Oh you know, I don't want to ruin the friendship and she may already be with someone. Regular, good ol' teen drama." She gave a half-hearted gesture with her fist.

"You don't know if she's with someone?" The platinum-haired girl questioned.

"I may have been avoiding her lately." Which was true. After their incident with Roman Torchwick and the train, Yang spent most of her free time training for the tournament these last few weeks in an effort to avoid her partner and seeing her with Sun. Well, that and the fact that her pride was hurt losing a fight to Roman's henchman girl with heterochromia eyes.

"Let me give you some advice," the other woman began, shooting the blonde a notably stern look. "Life's too short to sit idly by. Besides, you'll never know if you'll fall or fly unless you jump, right?"

"You've got a surprising amount of wisdom for a teenager."

Arslan snorted. "Take it from someone who's already fallen for their teammate," her olive eyes sent a soft wistful look towards Reese Chloris. "It may not have worked out for me, but I'd still do anything for that girl and in the end, I'm just glad we're still close friends."

Yang offered a sad smile. "Well, thank you for the pep talk. Really, you've helped me a lot."

"Yay!" Ruby's voice boomed next to her shaking Yang out of her memory. "They did it!"

"Don't worry Yang," Weiss said next to her. "It will be our turn tomorrow."

"Right! I'm sure we'll do great," Yang assured.

They got up and met up with Sun and Scarlet to congratulate them.

"Thanks guys!" Sun grinned widely at Team RWBY's acclaim. "Listen, I'm throwing a get together tomorrow night to celebrate all the teams that made it to the singles round."

"Our team hasn't made it yet, remember?" Weiss pointed out.

"Please," Sun brushed her off. "I have no doubt that you and Yang will kick some butt tomorrow. Then afterwards, we'll celebrate!" He guaranteed.

"That sounds great!" Ruby agreed.

"Right!" The Faunus boy pointed a thumb at himself. "Just let me worry about the planning this go round so you two can focus on your match," he gestured to Weiss and Yang. "I'll show you how we do it in Vacuo!"

"Right on," Yang said hoping she sounded enthused.

Sun turned his attention to Blake. "Hey I wanted to see if you'd help me set up after their match? I wouldn't mind a woman's touch."

"I can do that," Blake answered with a smile.

"Great, now let's go celebrate your victory with some food!" Ruby announced.

Both Team RWBY and SSSN began to exit the stadium and Yang couldn't help but feel doubt creep in about telling Blake. Now wasn't the time to worry about it she realized, not when Weiss needed her for tomorrow. She just hoped she'd get her chance after the tournament.


	3. Chapter 3

Later the next day, after Weiss and Yang's incredible match and victory, Blake carried a box of decorations to one of the courtyard pavilions where Sun and his team were setting up for the party he was planning. As she walked, she couldn't help thinking about Yang and how her partner seemed off today.

"Here you go," she said to Sun as she reached the pavilion and set the box down on one of the tables. Scarlet approached and he helped her lay the decorations out on the table.

"Thanks, Blake!" He called and grinned overhead from a nearby tree branch where he busily hung light fixtures. Once he was finished, he dropped down to help them sort through the pile. "Oh hey," his head shot up as he remembered something. "I have something for you to give to Yang, I keep forgetting and I'll probably forget again if I wait til tonight." He grinned sheepishly to the amber-eyed girl then reached in his pocket pulling out a long white garment and handed it to her.

Her brows drew together. "What is this?"

The boy raised a finger in the air. "According to Yang, it's a tie!"

She gave a half-serious eye roll. "Yes, I can see that. Why do you want me to give her your tie?"

"It's not mine," he corrected. "The night before the dance, she came by my dorm and lent it to me," he turned his attention back to the decorations. "She asked if I had slacks," he joked to himself and laughed. "Yeah, right."

"Wait, why?"

He turned to face her again, but his blue eyes looked up and his lips pushed out in thought. "Uhh…she said something about wanting you to have the perfect night and having fun since you were going through a tough time and all." His eyes settled back on her. "I guess she figured I didn't have a tie, and lo and behold she was right!"

Surprise and warmth overcame her. Without ever asking, Yang was always there to support her, but this… she had no idea the girl went out of her way to make sure that she had a good time at the dance.

She remembered her lesson yesterday with the lilac-eyed girl and it brought a smile to her face. However, her teammate had seemed uneasy afterwards, clearly afflicted about something. She wanted to be there for her partner like the blonde had been there for her countless times.

"Sun… I'm sorry, but I need to go."

He looked at her concerned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just have to do something."

"Okay, no problem. Will I see you tonight?"

"I'll be here," she ensured then turned to walk away pondering where Yang might be. There were no more matches today but it was possible the brawler could still be in their dorm room since she and Weiss showered after their match. Blake decided she'd check there first, however the room turned out to be empty. She continued to check all of the blonde's normal hangout spots and the fairgrounds to no avail. The Faunus pulled out her Scroll noticing Yang's signal was barely in range. Decidedly, she'd try one more place and headed east towards the edge of the school grounds.

* * *

Yang watched the sun get lower behind the city of Vale as she sat on a blanket surrounded by autumn trees in the secret meadow she used as an escape. Though there was still plenty of daytime left, the sky had hues of purple, pink and gold offering her a captivating spectacle this early evening. Of course she was ecstatic that she and Weiss were able to pull off the victory earlier meaning she would be moving on to the singles round. However, she needed some time to clear her head alone before attending Sun's get together later on.

When she heard someone approaching, she got up and walked towards the cliffs past the tree line to see an image more breathtaking than the sunset: Blake. Yang felt trepidation sink in. The woman who'd been plaguing her thoughts was standing only several feet from her.

"Hey," Blake greeted softly, closing the distance.

"Hey," she replied warily.

"I um, hope you don't mind that I'm here. I know this is where you go to be alone."

Yang sobered. "No, it's all right. Really. Did you need something?" She asked, looking towards the view and anywhere but her.

The Faunus gave her a worried look. "It just seemed like something was bothering you yesterday and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

The blonde looked at her partner then, the girl's concern warmed her. Blake didn't deserve to be lied to and Yang couldn't keep these feelings secret any longer. She needed to face this head-on like everything she did in life. Whether Blake reciprocated her feelings or rejected her, she needed to take the plunge and find out if she'd fly or fall like Arslan had advised.

"Well…" she began, clasping her partner's hands. She took a deep breath to gather her courage and calm her pounding heart. "I know we've become close. You're my best friend and I care about you so much, but I've realized that I want something more." She gave the held hands a light squeeze. "I'm falling for you Blake, and it terrifies me because… I've never fallen from this high up."

Understanding crossed Blake's features and she gave a softened look that made Yang's heart skip a beat. Instantly, however, the Faunus seemingly came to her senses and abruptly dropped her hands. The sudden action felt like a punch in the gut. "Yang... you can't," she breathed, taking a small step back and folding her arms around her self.

"Why?" She croaked, her heart in her throat.

"Because someone like me doesn't deserve someone like you."

Yang's features open in confusion. She assumed her partner would say something about being in a relationship with Sun. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it!" A firestorm of amber eyes burned into hers on the verge of tears. "For years, I was part of a terrorist organization."

"Blake-"

"Listen!" The raven-haired girl cut her off, her face pleading. "I did things that I will spend my whole life making up for and anyone who's ever cared for me has had nothing good come from it!"

"That's not true and you know it! Look at all the people who love you here." She gestured towards the school with her hand.

"I-"

"No!" Yang's eyes flashed red. "Stop using your past to justify why you can't have anything good anymore! You were young and you thought you were doing what was right. You made mistakes, but at least you're here trying to make things right now. You're one of the bravest people I've ever met and you deserve the world."

Blake regards her in silence, vacillation coating her features. Time seemed to stop waiting for her partner to reply, but before she knew it, Blake's hands cup her face and soft lips press to hers. For an instant, Yang was too startled to respond because somehow, against all odds, they were kissing. The blonde's eyes fluttered closed as that shock rapidly gave way to a blissful explosion from their two colliding worlds. In this moment, nothing else mattered but _her_ and the feel of their connected lips moving in time with one another as natural as their first dance.

Blake withdrew slightly after several heartbeats meeting lilac eyes. "I love it when you're feisty," she said in a low husky tone.

Lust coursed through every millimeter of Yang. She drew Blake in by the waist to rejoin their lips, unleashing every feeling of desire and yearning she'd kept at bay for so long into another kiss. Blake answered her just as hungrily, wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders and moaning softly when their tongues become acquainted. The sound sparks a heat Yang had never known.

The brawler had her fair share of first kisses before this one, and while those past encounters were pleasant, they simply couldn't equate to the primal feelings being evoked by her partner. To the rest of the world, Blake was stiff and aloof. Kissing her now, the blonde could feel all the passion and the fierceness she kept hidden within her.

The other woman guided Yang backwards until her back connected with a nearby tree. When the orange scarf she wore was given a light tug, Yang yanked the garment over her head and tossed it haphazardly in a random direction. Her exposed neck was met with ardent kisses. She lifted her chin slightly to give Blake a better angle, gasping as an unstoppable ache ignited within her core.

Without warning, she lifted the slightly shorter woman and spun around to switch their positions. Yang's world was consumed with the feel of strong legs wrapped around her torso, gentle hands running through her hair, and melded lips. It was intoxicating and intense and Yang always wanted to be doing _this_.

Suddenly, Blake's lips pull back causing the brawler to freeze thinking she had overstepped her welcome. That was until she saw the raw look of need in Blake's gaze and realized that her jacket was slowly being unzipped. The invitation was clear as day: Blake wanted _her_.

Yang shrugged off of her jacket then spun their bodies towards the blanket that she was thankful to have brought. She let her partner down from her grasp and navigated her towards their destination leaving behind a trail of clothes as they eagerly undress one another between bouts of kisses. Only their undergarments remained once Blake's feet made contact with the blanket. The Faunus flashed a feline smile before dragging Yang down on top of her.

Yang had to pause, hardly able to believe in the sight of the exotic onyx-haired beauty beneath her with nothing on but her matching black lace and bow; an image that would forever be etched in her mind. As much as she wanted her partner in this moment, she didn't dare rush this.

Slowly, their remaining barriers come off and both are momentarily struck with a wave of shyness and adoration as they take in the sight of newly exposed skin. Yang fit their bodies together – chests pressing against one another – and reached up to slowly unwind the ribbon her partner used as a disguise. She placed the material somewhere in the grass, and met Blake's lips with a soft, full kiss; her statement that she had no qualms with her partner's true identity.

Her mouth wandered, trailing kisses and nips down the dark-haired beauty's jaw and neck, continuing her exploration down to the valleys of her breast and stomach, thrilled in the way Blake's back arched with each caress. Their mouths found one another again and Yang's lip was tugged lightly between Blake's teeth before another all-consuming kiss while hands roamed her bare shoulders and back.

Though the brawler wasn't a virgin, she'd never done this with a woman before, and she couldn't help but feel a little unnerved. However, she took some comfort in knowing that her past experiences had at least taught her something about her own body.

Gradually, Yang's hand grazed down the other woman's thigh to the slick folds her center. The action causes her lover to gasp and cling to her tighter. "Shit," Blake breathed through her teeth against the blonde's mouth. It was startling and a huge turn-on since the girl rarely cursed. She stroked the woman's delicate velvety core in small slow circles. Sounds of approval enticed Yang to experiment with speed and pressure triggering Blake to writhe beneath her. "Just like… that," her partner praised apparently finding a rhythm she liked.

Tension builds in Blake's body; her moans elevating in volume and pitch. It spurred Yang to nip and suck at the crook of the other woman's neck while her partner's fingers tangled into her golden locks. She became thoroughly lost in the movements; ebbing and flowing like waves of the sea.

The tempo increased. Breathing quickened. Blake's hands moved to Yang's back, desperately clinging and drawing her in closer. The blonde could sense her lover was on the cusp of her finale when suddenly, it happened. Blake's hips rocked into her, every muscle on her frame clenching from an eruption of pleasure. Fingers raked Yang's shoulders as the other woman cried out her name. Yang drew it out of her, not relenting until she felt Blake's body become limp, utterly spent.

Blake sagged into the blanket in a huff of exhaustion. She closed her eyes, attempting to gain control of her ragged breathing. Yang tried to remove her hand carefully but the girl still flinched slightly from the loss of contact. She lay beside her partner with her head propped on her hand and a leg draping one of Blake's to wait for her to come down from her orgasm.

Her partner eventually met her gaze with a sleepy expression and an elated smile. Yang thought the girl never looked so striking. The blonde took her hand and pressed her knuckles to her lips. "Was that okay?" She asked a little nervously.

Blake placed the hand that was kissed on Yang's cheek. "That was… amazing," she admitted.

The raven-haired girl propped up on her elbows, giving Yang a different angle to admire her and making the lilac-eyed girl want to start all over again. "You… are so damn sexy," Yang breathed casting a steamy stare down the line of her sweat glistened body.

Blake tilted her partner's chin up to meet her warm-centered amber eyes. "Took the words right out of my mouth," she proclaimed. She sat up, prompting Yang to switch positions. Once on top, she tossed a tousle of ebony cascades in an unintentionally risqué way and smiled suggestively before meeting Yang's lips.

"Now it's my turn, honey," she whispered before training her mouth on the blonde's neck. The words sent chills throughout Yang's entire being that only heightened as Blake's mouth placed deliciously soft kisses and brushes from her tongue on the sensitive skin of her neck. Damn, she was good at that. The brawler's mind buzzed, unable to think straight.

Her partner's mouth ambled lower to her breast making Yang's breath hitch. Every part of her traitorous body responded with a need so powerful, it burned. No one's touch had ever lit her up this way. It may have been due to the fact that this was the first time another woman caressed her –everything felt softer and more sensual– but there was more to it than that. She realized that before this, she was seeking thrills and chasing highs with those previous hookups until now. With Blake, she was falling higher than she'd ever been and she didn't know if she'd ever come down.

Her lover continued to roam lower. When Yang realized those lips wouldn't stop at her hips, her eyes jolted open and she shot Blake an astonished look watching her partner settle between her thighs. The raven-haired beauty met her gaze with a resolute one of her own, intensified by the setting sun behind her. The entire image was almost too much to handle, made fiercer by the sight of her partner lowering her head to her center.

"Fuck," Yang exhaled once Blake's mouth made contact with her core stimulating her head to drop back and her hips to buck involuntarily. Her fists rumpled the fabric beneath her and her body was consumed by sheer rapture from Blake's tongue moving maddeningly slow in a circular motion.

Her hips began to move with their own volition causing her partner's mouth to hasten. She moaned uncontrollably; the euphoria so strong it set Yang's body on fire and it had nothing to do with her semblance. "Blake…" she whimpered, on the edge about to spill over.

All at once, everything contracted. Her back arched while one of her hands clutched into her hair. She was suspended in that moment, losing focus as the world faded away replaced by an earthquake of pleasure emanating from her center. The shockwaves rippled throughout her entire body, so overwhelming she let out a keening cry. She shuddered and laid back on the blanket feeling drained yet, euphoric.

Her lover extracted herself and wiped her mouth, making her way to her partner's side to give the blonde the same courtesy of coming down from the climax. Yang looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes, then opened her arms wanting to feel her embrace. The Belladonna girl smiled and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before settling in on the brawler's chest, draping a leg over her hips.

"Was that okay?" She asked, repeating Yang's question from earlier.

"Earth-shattering," the brawler ensured.

They laid like that in the stillness, watching the remnants of the sunlight fade into twilight as Blake's hand traced small circles on her hip. Once it was dark, Yang felt her partner's head lift to observe their surroundings. "Did you know the flowers did that?" She asked awestruck.

Yang set her sights on the flowers. They had a warm amber glow, reminding her of candles. "I did. They're an uncommon kind of sunflower. During this time of year, they glow like that before winter."

"It's beautiful," Blake breathed before settling back down on her chest. "How did your dad find this place?"

Yang ran her fingers through the other woman's long dark hair, liking the way her cat-ears twitched in anticipation with each touch. "He didn't, actually. He said my mom brought him here when they got closer. It was one of the few times he talked to me about her."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's okay. This place is the only nice thing I have from her and the sunflowers were her favorite. My dad still grows them…" She trailed off thinking of her dad and his garden but then felt Blake take her hand to kiss it. "Either way," she smiled and continued. "It's a nice little retreat."

Blake hummed her agreement. "Part of me still thinks this is all a dream. Thanks again for showing me this place."

"You don't have to thank me. This can be your hideaway too y'know; something you turn to, to escape the world and feel safe."

The Faunus chuckled softly. "Thanks, but I already have that."

Yang looked at her curiously. "You do?"

"Yeah… You."

The blonde's eyes gleamed. She tilted Blake's chin and met her mouth with a deep kiss, sparking a fresh wave of desire to course through her. "Are you ready to go again?" She asked.

* * *

Later, in the low light of the sunflower filled meadow, Blake and Yang hunted for their clothes that were scattered on the grass. "Found your scarf!" Yang called a few feet away. "Do we have to have to go to this party?" She groaned playfully.

Blake tightened her arm wraps and smiled. "Unfortunately, or your sister and Weiss will wonder where we are."

"So we're keeping this a secret?" Yang smirked, holding up her bra.

Blake walked up and plucked the garment from her fingers. "For now, if that's okay with you?"

"I think it's a good idea. It's something we can all talk about as a team when the time is right."

"Agreed," she said, planting a quick kiss on the blonde's lips. When she turned, her foot made contact with something on the ground. "Found your belt," she called to Yang. She grasped it, but an object fell from the opened pouch once it was lifted. The Faunus' face crinkled as she scrutinized the item in the grass.

"What's wrong?" Her partner asked by her side.

"Is that the necklace I got you?"

Yang looked at the pendant then picked it up looking slightly sheepish. "Yeah, I um… always keep it on me."

Blake felt her heart melting. She dropped the items in her hands and cupped Yang's face, kissing her without abandon. When she withdrew, she took the hand that wasn't holding the necklace and led the brawler back to the blanket. "Oh!" Yang replied breathlessly.

…

Some time later, Blake fumbled around on the blanket to check the time on her Scroll. She groaned. "Sun's party started almost an hour ago."

"Five more minutes," the curled up form next to her murmured sleepily.

A smile tugs at her mouth as she brushes blonde hair behind her partner's ear and lies back down. An arm settled over her waist. "Five more minutes," she agreed.

They finally got dressed and Blake gave one last look towards the water and the glimmering city lights of Vale in the night. "Do you want to dance with me before we head out?" she heard the blonde ask from behind. "I still owe you one, remember?"

The raven-haired recalled the night at the ball and how she had asked Yang to dance with her on the balcony. Her face softened. "Sure." Though there was no music, they moved fluidly in their slow dance. Blake still couldn't believe this was evening was real and she kept fighting off an urge to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't in another vivid dream. "So, why do you like me?" The Belladonna girl inquired, unable to contain her curiosity.

Yang laughed while she spun her. "What's not to like? You're smart, passionate, driven and not to mention drop dead gorgeous." This statement was emphasized as Yang dipped her, winning the blonde a giggle. "Plus, you don't care what people think of you, you're just you. Even if you come off as guarded and distant at first, I respect that because when you do allow people in your life you're kind, witty, and just fun to be around." Blake smiled fondly at her then placed her head on the blonde's shoulder. Their dance slowed into a sway. "Why do you like me?" Her partner asked.

"Because you're friendly, nurturing, funny, and beautiful," she said simply. "Not just how you look; you brighten up the world with your energy and cheerfulness. That light helped me to chase away the darkness and my ghosts. Now, all I see is you." She looked into those lilac eyes that she loved so much. "For the first time in my life, I don't want to run away because now, I have something to run to."

Yang looked at her admiringly and their lips found each other. Compared to all their other kisses this evening, this one feels different. It's gentle and deep, but it also feels like an unspoken promise that, this thing they had between them was important. It was impossibly hard to break off, but the blonde reluctantly did. She touched their foreheads and sighed. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

At last, they reached the festivity and were both astonished with the wild atmosphere. Blake had assumed it would be a small get together, but it seemed like the whole school decided to show face. Music blared from several large speakers as a large crowd of students danced under flashing lights dangling from trees. Even the moon seemed like a decoration sparkling above, giving life to the celebration.

"There you guys are!" Ruby's voice called from the pavilion at one of the tables with Weiss and Team JNPR. They seemed to be playing some sort of card game when Yang and Blake walked up. "Where have you guys been?"

"W-we were-" Yang began.

"In the city. I needed to get something and Yang drove me. We lost track of time," Blake finished for her smoothly. Her partner wasn't the best liar, but she appreciated the candor. "Sorry."

"S'okay," Ruby assured. "But Yang you missed when Sun announced the finalists. They were getting cheered and everything."

"Aw, that's okay sis! I'm sure I'll have a good time anyway." Yang guaranteed. "Sun sure outdid himself."

"I'll say," Weiss agreed. "This party is out of control. He said only a few people were showing up, but word spread like wildfire."

"Well! Let's have fun!" Yang encouraged.

"Just don't stay up too late," Weiss cautioned. "You could still be chosen to fight tomorrow night."

Yang winked. "I won't, I promise."

They continued to enjoy the party throughout the night, dancing and mingling with the students from the other academies. Once in a while she'd meet lilac eyes from across the crowd and offered a secret smile.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Blake rose from her bed and stretched while she looked out the window. Although the early morning sun had just begun to peak over the horizon, she felt too elated to sleep any longer, even with her late bedtime. She looked to Yang's bed and was somewhat astonished to find it empty. Decidedly, she grabbed her bathroom bag and headed out.

When she opened the door, a surprised looking Yang was on the other side in the act of grasping for the handle. Her partner beamed at her then reached for her hand and pulled her out into the empty hallway. As soon as the door closed, the blonde pressed her up against the wall, meeting her lips with a fiery kiss. "Good morning," she greeted once she withdrew.

Blake thought that she could definitely get used to this. "Good morning," she returned giddily. "Shouldn't you be resting? You could be fighting tonight."

"I was too excited to sleep anymore, but don't worry, I feel great!" She assured with a jaunty smile. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep anymore either. I think you're turning me into a morning person," she smirked. "So, what are you going to do?

"Well, not much is open right now so I thought I'd go to the Amphitheater and shadowbox or something," Yang explains. "Buuut since you're up, I guess you can help me train," she smirked lasciviously.

The Faunus shook her head in amusement. "Sure, I'll meet you there."

Half an hour later, Blake found herself straddling her partner's lap in the seating area of the Amphitheater and kissing the brawler as if the world would end. The raven-haired girl couldn't help but get a thrill with their clandestine make out session, suddenly feeling like a frisky teenager. Realization dawned because in actuality, that's exactly what she was and frankly, she didn't care. Not when Yang made her desire for her so apparent with her heated kiss and the way her hands pushed up the fabric of her shirt to feel the skin around her midriff.

Never in a million years did the Faunus think that her partner would feel anything for her besides friendship. Hell, she'd even come to terms with that, believing she was happy enough to have the blonde in her life at all. But then Yang confessed her feelings and although Blake was hesitant to let her doubts go, once she pressed her lips to Yang's, there would be no turning back. Screw her inhibitions and her past; she wanted this with every fiber of her being.

Of course the blonde turned out to be a great kisser and Blake found herself amazed at how someone so strong could be so gentle and passionate. It became apparent to her yesterday that Yang would respect her and not move too fast. This turned her on more than she could explain.

An urge took over her while they kissed against the tree in the meadow; there was no denying that she wanted her partner. She had imagined the blonde's mouth and those hands roaming her body too many times to revoke her need. So, she made the move and when Yang responded, it was glorious; way better than anything she could fabricate in her mind. She felt emboldened to return the favor, wanting to do something for Yang that she had experienced with her previous lover. In all honesty, she wanted to do that again for her partner now. _Yep... definitely a frisky teenager._ She confirmed inwardly.

She felt Yang push down the fabric of her scarf, taking advantage of her position to kiss and bite a trail from her exposed jaw down to her neck. Her touches and kisses were electric, charging the air around them and invigorating Blake's body with waves of tingles.

"Are you… going… to leave me any more presents?" Blake asked huskily through her haze.

Yang paused to chuckle. She used her fingers to expose the other side of Blake's neck revealing two hickies. "I… may have gotten a little excited last night." Blake deadpanned then revealed another hickie near her collarbone. "Okay, a lot. Apparently I'm not the only one," Yang teased as she pushed down the fabric of her own scarf to showcase a little dark mark.

"Whoops," was all Blake could muster with a small blush. She suddenly got a pang of guilt from diverting Yang and her possible match later on today. "Are you sure you don't want to spar or something? I mean, I don't want to distract you before tonight."

Yang gave her a half-humorous and half-incredulous look. "Trust me, I'd rather be doing this. Besides, I've never felt better. If I do get chosen later, I'm ready to kick butt." She cheesed.

"And when you win, we'll celebrate with a victory shower," Blake offered.

Yang's cheeks colored. "…You're a bad kitty," she chortled.

Blake laughed. "Yang Xiao Long, I don't think I've ever seen you blush."

"I guess no one's ever talked to me like that. Don't get me wrong I like it," she assured.

"Last night… it wasn't your first time?" Blake said it more like an observational statement than a question.

"With a woman yes, but ever… no. I've hooked up with guys from Signal and there was one guy I had a casual fling with, but nothing with strings attached, y'know?" She pushed back a stray lock of hair from Blake's face behind her ear. "What about you?"

"No, I was with someone pretty seriously for a while and we eventually became intimate." The Faunus gave her partner an uneasy look. Yang was the only other person she'd ever been with and she wasn't sure if the blonde considered what they were doing just a 'fling'. "Is what we're doing… casual?"

A brazen smile formed at her partner's lips. "If you're trying to ask me if I want any strings attached, my answer is yes, I want all the strings."

A flood of emotions overflowed the Faunus. "I-"

The sound of the Amphitheater door opening caused both of them to freeze. Luckily they were strategically positioned so a person would have to pass the seating area to discover them.

Blake quickly planted a chaste kiss on her partner's lips. "Talk later?" She whispered while she dismounted and took a seat next to Yang.

"Later," The blonde promised.

Pyrrha Nikos appeared before them looking somewhat distracted. When she finally noticed the two she sobered. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-,"

"You didn't," Yang cut her off. Blake could only imagine how flustered her and her partner looked at that moment, with their disheveled hair and flushed faces.

"I was just leaving," Blake stated, standing from the bleachers. "Good luck to both of you!" She encouraged and gave Yang one last lingering look before walking away. The blonde looked as though she were about to follow her, but stayed put; her knuckles turning white as she clutched the seat at her sides.

"So…" she heard Yang say to Pyrrha as the Faunus walked away. "Ready to kick some ass?"

* * *

That evening, Yang stood with the other finalist as they excitedly waited to be called out into the arena one-by-one. Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck took turns announcing each of them and stating what academy they were from. When her name was called, the sea of cheering people and loud roars exhilarated her. She smiled and waved as she made her way to the center. She was able to find her team's location in one of the front row seats. When her eyes locked with her partner, she offered a wink before turning to stand next to the other competitors.

The announcers explained how the finals would work to the audience. In no time, the first match would commence as soon as the screen divulged the first two fighters. Lo and behold, she would kick off the event with Mercury Black. She'd watched his previous match with Yatsuhashi and Coco, plus witnessed him fight in the sparring matches held by Glynda. The boy was not someone to take lightly even if he gave off an indifferent vibe.

The other combatants exited the arena while the platform hovered in the center illuminated by large ring of overhead lights. She glanced at her opponent. "You better not go easy on me," she said placing a hand on her hip.

The gray-haired boy chuckled confidently and shook his head. "You wish."

They squared off as Professor Port counted down. "Three, two, one!" He called out as the two fighters inched closer to one another. "Fight!"

As soon as that word was shouted, they didn't waste any time. Like Yang, Mercury was a high caliber fighter but instead of punch based attacks he used complex kicks that were aggressive and effective. Despite his focus on kicks, he was no stranger to deftly redirecting enemy attacks with his hands, speed, and acrobatics.

They traded blows and the blonde almost managed to knock him out of the arena. However, the boy used the explosive rounds from his boots to boost himself back up to the stage. When he landed, he unleashed an onslaught of kicks and landed one that knocked her back. He followed with a fusillade of explosive rounds from his boot, spinning and kicking them in the air. The rounds circled the arena overhead into a large cyclone. When the brawler attempted to charge him, the boy deflected her and landed a heavy strike knocking her to the floor. All at once, the storm of rounds followed and she felt each one strike like lightning.

_Well, that hurt_. She thought, but she'd be damned if she would go out like that. She saw her opponent walking off and she sprung up. Fire blazed all around her while her eyes turned red. With her semblance activated, she rushed him and unleashed a fury of left-right blows on the gray-haired boy. She landed another hard punch to his stomach that made the boy groan and she finished with a heavy cross that knocked him down rendering him unable to continue.

She heard the buzzer and Professor Port's voice overhead. "What a way to kick off the finals!" He shouted as the stadium rumbled with their cheers.

Yang sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they returned to her normal color and she accepted the applause by raising her arm in celebration. She sent a quick glance to her team as she heard Dr. Oobleck announce, "Yang Xiao Long wins!"

"Yeah! You did it sis!" She heard Ruby exclaim with her arms out excitedly in her seat with Weiss next to her pumping her fists with enthusiasm.

She saw Blake offer a standing ovation. "Way to go, Yang!"

The brawler smiled at the sight before turning her attention back to Mercury who was kneeling before her. She wiped her forehead with her arm before speaking to the boy. "Better luck next time," she called out before turning and walking for the exit.

"There's not going to be a next time, blondie!" She heard Mercury say from behind. His words coated with malice.

She turned to face him, her eyes widening as he lunged to attack her with a kick. She scowled and met his leg with a punch, firing a round as she did so. An audible crunch erupted as he crumpled to the floor and clasped his limb. She heard boos and sounds of alarm from the crowd. The gray-haired boy rocked back and forth still grasping his injured body part. "My leg, MY LEG!" He cried.

"That's what you get, you little- Huh?" She was cut off as the Atlesian droid soldiers circled her with their weapons trained on her. They ordered her to stand down. "What? Why?" She asked thoroughly confused.

Emerald came rushing onto the arena to comfort her injured teammate. "Why'd she do that?! Why'd she attack me?!" Mercury said with panic and hysteria. Emerald glared at her with outrage before Yang looked at the screen overhead. To her horror, it showed an image of Mercury getting up from the ground and her attacking him while he made no move to harm her.

_What in the hell just happened?_ She thought. Her eyes looked towards her teammates. She saw shock and terror on each of their faces and it was too much. The droids escorted her off the stage into a vacant office while two of them posted by the door outside.

She had no idea how long she sat there. The images of what just happened reeled in her head and she grew frustrated since she couldn't make sense of it. To her surprise, General Ironwood entered the room looking fatigued. She fought the urge to jump up from her seat and demand what was going on. Instead, she sat there with her lips pressed tightly together and waited for him to speak.

He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "After much discussion, we're releasing you to go back to your dorm. It's been a long night, so I'll meet with you there tomorrow morning to talk to you further."

"I-"

"Please," he said holding up a hand and looking somber. "I _will_ hear you out tomorrow, but for now… let's just get some rest."

She shook her head in frustration. With a great show of self-restraint that she didn't know she possessed, she sighed and offered a quick nod.

The general led her to an airship and he stood outside with his hands clasped behind his back watching her board. To her surprise, her team sat inside waiting for her tiredly. "Yang…" Ruby tried to greet her.

"Please... let's just go," she pleaded. Her mind was too drained to attempt any conversation. She took a seat next to her sister and couldn't help but give Blake an inquisitive look. The Faunus had her eyes glued to the floor and the blonde wondered what was running through her mind. She felt a wave of nausea assault her stomach and she just hoped that her team would believe her. That Blake would believe her.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Blake and Weiss made their way to the school's coffee shop opting to get tea instead of watching the fight later on at Amity. Blake was quiet while they walked, recalling how this morning had been a stark contrast to the one she had with Yang yesterday. However, since the match the Faunus could barely look at her partner. Whenever she did, the image of the brawler striking an unguarded Mercury appeared graphically in her mind.

She thought of General Ironwood's recent visit that ultimately resulted in their team being disqualified from the tournament. Once the general left their dorm room, the blonde had asked her teammates if they believed in her innocence. Although Ruby and Weiss were quick to take her side, the amber-eyed girl made her hesitance known. Blake would forever be haunted by the look of hurt in Yang's eyes; they had even dulled from their vibrant lilac color and were almost blue in hue as if to reflect her mood. Her partner had even cried.

At the time, Blake really did want to believe Yang, but it just felt like she was going down a road she had traveled way too many times already. It brought up thoughts of Adam and his vision for a new world. Her infatuation for him led her to blindly follow his crusade, but as their movement grew, she and Adam grew further apart.

He was no longer fighting in the hopes to bring liberation for the Faunus. Instead, his resentment justified him to bring suffering to any and all humans. Whenever she'd confront him, he'd manipulate her by bringing up her parents or questioning her devotion to their cause. Blake finally grasped that Adam would never accept blame, choosing to redirect it at the world instead.

Although she had cared for him deeply and maybe it was love for a time, it became suffocating. He had exploited and lied to her for years, all while hiding behind a Grimm mask. It was fitting how he wore it since he eventually did become a monster.

When she brought him up to Yang and the rest of her team, she needed Yang to look her in the eyes and tell her that Mercury attacked first before Blake could trust her. Without hesitation or complaining, her partner did just that. Of course Blake was grateful after, but she couldn't help but feel remorseful for not believing in Yang in the first place.

When she and Weiss reached the coffee shop, they saw two available seats at the bar and made their way towards them. As they headed for the chairs, two students from a visiting academy passed them on their way to the exit. "Man! Did you see that crazy girl just hit that defenseless kid last night? Brutal!" A boy with olive-green hair exclaimed to his friend.

"Yeah! Chicks are crazy man, especially blondes." Another boy with a buzz cut replied. "They really know how to hit a guy when he's down!" He joked and they both cackled with laughter.

Blake stopped walking and clenched her jaw in annoyance. She turned around and headed for the two jerks, intent on giving them a piece of her mind. A firm grip latched onto her forearm stopping her advance. "Blake, don't!" Weiss warned. "Those assholes aren't worth it," she hissed.

The Faunus didn't move from her teammate's hold but watched the two leave in disgust. Her eye's widened slightly as realization hit her. She turned to the heiress. "I've… never heard you cuss," she admitted.

"I call it how I see it," Weiss stated matter-of-factly. She let go of her arm and gestured towards the bar. "Now please, let's just sit down."

Blake answered her with a nod and they took their seats. The raven-haired girl set her eyes on the television showing reports of last night's incident. Her brows drew together while she watched, feeling guilt creep into her stomach all over again.

Weiss cleared her throat beside her. "You know, when I first met Yang, I'll admit my opinion of her wasn't very high," the white-haired girl began. When Blake met her gaze, she realized the girl was studying her carefully. Weiss winced slightly as if embarrassed of her confession but continued. "I mean, I assumed she was this pretty girl that didn't have any brains. Then after our first few interactions, I thought she was a loud brute with a bad temper." She paused as the barista came by to take their orders. "Of course as I got to know her, I realized how wrong I was. She's an amazing person and a great friend, but I find it ironic how this whole situation makes her look like how I first perceived her."

Blake broke eye contact to look at the table. Personally, she never thought those things about Yang when they first met, but she could see how the rest of the world would be quick to regard her that way. "Yeah, well… at least you believed that she wouldn't hurt an innocent person or lie to us. I should have too."

"Well, it sounds like you have trust issues," Weiss observed out loud.

Blake sighed. "Even still, Yang's been nothing but transparent with me. I hate letting my past cloud my judgment, but actually seeing her hurt Mercury with my own eyes brought back too many memories." She was surprised that she was divulging all of this to her teammate—she and Weiss never really had a heart-to-heart about anything—but in all honesty, it felt good to get this off her chest.

The heiress astounded her further by placing a hand on her forearm for comfort. "In the end, what matters is that you trust her."

Blake smiled. "Right. I do." Their tea arrived and they both took a sip. On the television, the announcers for the tournament came on the screen to talk about the remaining contenders for the preshow.

"That guy you talked about earlier in the room… was he your ex?" Weiss inquired beside her.

"Yeah," she replied honestly.

"And you and Yang… are you guys a thing yet?"

Blake's body became rigid and she felt completely flabbergasted. She snapped her head to Weiss who waited for her reply with a lifted brow. The Faunus opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "W-what are you talking about?" She deflected.

The Ice Queen shot her a ferocious eye-roll. "Blake, please! I know you're not dim, so give me the same courtesy and don't insult my intelligence. When you talked about your ex in the room, you exposed that you care about Yang the way you used to care about him." She adjusted herself in her seat. "Besides, I've known since the dance you guys have had a thing for each other. At least, that's when I started paying attention. I see the way Yang looks at you, plus she hangs on every word you say. You do the _same thing_, but how you laugh at those god-awful puns I'll never know!" She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Honestly, sometimes I wanted to shake the both of you, but it wasn't my place to point it out."

Blake's mouth felt dry all of the sudden so she took a long sip of her drink ignoring the scorching sensation in her mouth. She should have known Weiss and her crystal-blue eyes didn't miss a thing. The girl never hid how brainy or shrewd she was, but Blake didn't realize that she was so observant. "You belong in an interrogation room with criminals. Really, you'd make them cower."

Weiss smiled wickedly. "They would be terrified!"

Blake smiled back then returned her focus to her cup. "We, um... haven't made anything official..." she confessed.

The white-haired girl nodded. "I knew at Sun's party something happened between you two. You guys looked like you were on clouds." Her face crinkled and she held up a hand. "Please spare me the details."

Blake bit her lip. _Something happened all right, multiple somethings at that_. "Does Ruby know?"

The heiress deadpanned. "Rest assured, our fearless leader is oblivious to these kinds of things."

Blake smiled sadly. "Yeah well, I just hope Yang can forgive me after earlier. I've never seen her cry and I hate that I'm the one who made her do it."

Weiss scoffed. "Trust me, if I've learned anything about Yang, it's that she's deceptively mature and she can roll with the punches, figuratively and literally. She won't let this situation get her down for long."

Blake nodded staring at her mug. "She's just so different. With Adam, the longer we were together, the more I couldn't recognize who I was when I saw my reflection. With Yang, whenever she looks into my eyes it's like she sees more in me than I ever saw in myself." She looked up surprised, realizing she had said her thoughts out loud.

Weiss just smiled at her kindly. The gesture was a complete contrast to the hard mask she normally put on for the world and a rare show of sympathy. To Blake, it made her teammate look lovely. "Well, maybe you should tell her more about your past with your ex to help her understand why you're so guarded," she suggested.

If someone told Blake a year ago that she would confide in the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company -the very organization she despised for years- about a relationship she had with another human, she would outright laugh in their face. However, here she was and Weiss proved to her time and time again that she was more than just a name. "I will," she promised with a smile.

* * *

After Yang's conversation with her uncle Qrow, the blonde continued to sit on Blake's bed and gaze out of the window. She had no desire to face the world right now, knowing that people would undoubtedly stare at her and gossip.

For weeks the blonde questioned if she had really seen her mom on Roman Torchwick's train. Then after the incident yesterday, she began to question her own sanity. Of course her uncle had called her _crazy_ for her, but then she told him about her mom. Qrow confirmed that the incident on the train was indeed real and that her mom keeps in touch with him.

This information boggled Yang's mind and she grew exasperated with the long list of questions that kept piling up like: Was the train the first time her mom visited her? Did Yang have to prove that she was worthy somehow in order for them to speak or something? Did her mother even love her? Her uncle had even revealed that he knew how to find her, but evidently after all this time the woman already knew how to reach her own daughter.

She blinked away hot tears that her mother didn't deserve and took a deep breath to collect herself. Without permission, Qrow's words conjured in the back of her mind. _"She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again."_ This came from a woman who was a stranger for the entirety of Yang's life. Then out of nowhere, she mysteriously saves the day and thought her daughter would expect more from her? It was almost comical; all Yang ever wanted was for her to be there. Not to _save_ her. Not to _protect _her. _**Just be there**_!

Zwei approached her then with his tail wagging happily. Yang motioned for him causing the little dog to jump up on the bed and curl up next to her side. "Don't worry, I won't tell Blake you were up here," she promised while she scratched his head.

Once the name was spoken, the brawler couldn't help but shift her thoughts to her partner. Yang understood that Blake's past clouted her personality making the Faunus loathe herself to the point where she thought that she wasn't worthy of Yang's affection. It may have been naïve of the lilac-eyed girl, but she thought Blake was done with being lost in the shadows. That was until their conversation earlier.

Yang wouldn't lie; it stung like hell when Blake questioned her innocence. Of course it mattered to her that the whole team believed her, but Blake was the one she wanted to have faith in her the most. Even though the Faunus explained why she was dubious, Yang had to wonder how long her past would continue to torment her.

She stood to pull out a little black box from her drawer. When she opened it, an opulent tear-dropped shaped citrine pendant with diamond accents illuminated at her – its color evoked the image of Blake's eyes clearly in her mind. She'd gotten the necklace for Blake while she was going through a tough time with the White Fang investigation, but she hadn't found an opportunity to give it to her.

The brawler sighed. Even with their turbulence from earlier, it didn't change the way she felt about Blake. Besides, one day the amber-eyed girl would find her wings and ascend from the darkness completely. That in itself would be something worth seeing. She placed the little black box in her pouch with her own necklace and returned to gazing out of the window deciding that she'd give it to Blake the next time she saw her.


	6. Chapter 6

"The White Fang is here?" Blake blurted in a disbelieving tone to her partner who was on the other line of her Scroll. Just a few minutes ago, the amber-eyed girl and Weiss were having tea and watching the tournament's evening match from the café's television. Now, they stood in the fairgrounds taking in their tumultuous surroundings as an assortment of Grimm species infiltrated the area. Yang had just revealed that these Grimm were released by her former organization. The Faunus was finding it difficult to grasp that they were the source of the school's attack along with the mysterious woman who broadcasted over the television after Penny Polendina's untimely death.

Unexpectedly, a cacophony of growls and gunshots boomed over the call pulling Blake back to the real world. "Yang!" She cried worriedly. Her partner voiced that she had to go and the line cut off. Blake stood there staring at the Scroll's screen; there were so many things she wanted to tell Yang right now.

"Blake? What are we going to do?" Weiss asked beside her.

The Belladonna girl composed herself while flipping through her Scroll to summon her weapon. Her former organization needed to be stopped and she would do everything in her power to accomplish that. "We're going to the docks and we're doing our job," she proclaimed.

The heiress nodded in agreement then the two hurried over to the direction of the docks. Once they arrived, they spotted a group of Atlesian Knights down the main avenue towards the school and made their way to them. The Knight's weapons were trained on a group of Grimm but out of nowhere, they turned around and set their sights on Blake and her teammate. "Look out!" The raven-haired girl hollered while tackling Weiss to the ground.

The robots unleashed their fire but missed their marks. They followed up by circling Weiss and Blake as they rose. The situation was getting worse as each minute passed: first the White Fang, then the Grimm, and now the Atlesian military? It was all just pissing Blake off. She and the Ice Queen commenced to attack whatever stood in their path.

Her teammate was nothing short of spectacular with her graceful strikes and speed. The legion of Atlesian Knights could barely compute the white-haired blur of demise slicing through their ranks and leaving behind a trail of robotic body parts. Meanwhile, Blake dealt with the group of White Fang members. It felt good to fend off her former organization.

She and the Ice Queen continued to fight but were drawn to the sight of a Paladin going berserk on the human guards. "Come on!" Weiss exclaimed in their direction.

Blake trailed the heiress but stopped short when a crashing aircraft plummeted to the ground while an Alpha Beowolf jumped out it and made its way for the school. The Faunus shot Weiss a 'that thing is mine' look.

Weiss smiled confidently at her. "Be safe," she cautioned before heading to the Paladin.

Blake nodded her acknowledgment and set off for the Alpha. She pursued it to the school's dining facility and watched it climb up the side of the building. A loud groan sounded from inside catching Blake's attention. Her eyes sprung wide open; to her utter horror, Adam stood before her tossing one of the guards aside like a piece of trash.

A shudder ran down her spine. "No… Adam?" An epiphany struck her as she said his name; this whole time she wondered how the White Fang came to work with humans and what their endgame was. All these months of preparation led them here, with Adam leading the charge all along. It was blowing her mind, she knew her former lover hated humanity but this was on another level of mutiny.

He formed a vengeful smile at his lips. "Hello, my darling." That menacing look caused fear to overwhelm Blake knowing how lethal Adam could be. She backed away slowly and kept her eyes trained on her old flame. "Running away again?" He mocked. "Is that what you've become my love? A coward?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"You and I were going to change the world remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution!" Adam dug his foot into the midsection of an unconscious student and drew his weapon. "Consider this the spark," he threatened as he raised his sword over the boy's chest.

Blake hurried in to aid the student and collided swords with her old mentor. He needed to be stopped. "I'm not running!" She asserted defiantly.

"You will!" He promised.

* * *

"I've gotta go. Be careful," Yang cautioned to Blake over her Scroll. She hung up and opened the dormitory's door exit to a chaotic scene outside. Hordes of Grimm Beowolves were on the prowl attacking any frantic student that came across their path. In the blink of an eye, the brawler watched as a body crashed brutally into a nearby tree trunk. Yang's combat instinct kicked in once she realized that two Beowolves intended on attacking the stunned student. They lunged for him at the same time that she propelled herself to his aid and the brawler made quick work of eradicating the threats.

When she turned her attention to the boy, Sky Lark gave her a firm nod as a thank you. She nodded back then extended her hand to help him up. They made their way to a myriad of Grimm that were surrounding several exchange kids and helped them slay their threats. The hordes felt like they were never-ending but she and the other students finally made some leeway and snuffed out a great deal of the threats.

The blonde promptly headed for the docks with Zwei on her heels. As she neared them she pinpointed Weiss amongst a group of her peers and ran to her. "Weiss! You're okay!" She exclaimed with relief to her teammate who was doubled over from exhaustion. Yang quickly questioned if the heiress had seen Ruby or Blake. When the white-haired girl disclosed that Blake went after an Alpha and some members of the White Fang, the brawler decided she'd try to find her partner. Weiss gave her a thumbs-up for encouragement as Yang set off in the direction the Ice Queen had pointed.

Yang searched desperately around the school grounds for her partner. "Blaaaake!" She called frantically as she shot down a Grimm near the school's dining hall. "Blake! Where are you?!"

An agonized cry rang through the air. "Huh?" Yang responded in confusion. She looked for the noise's source through the broken dining room window. Her eyes weren't ready for the horrible image of an auburn-haired, black-cladded man standing over her partner with a sword lodged into her abdomen. He withdrew the sword then turned to face the blonde, provoking her with a smirk.

"Get away from her!" Yang bellowed. Never in her entire life had she felt so much rage. The White Fang member made a show of standing in front of Blake and sheathing his sword. He was baiting her to attack she realized, but the brawler didn't care. All she wanted right now was for him to be as far away from Blake as possible.

The brawler felt her fury reach a fever pitch as she leered at that smug-faced fiend wearing a Grimm mask. She heard herself let out a roar before activating her semblance and hurled herself into the fray with tears brimming her eyes. Yang spun to attack him with a well-deserved fist to his face. Suddenly, however, she heard the sound of a sword unsheathing and slicing. All at once, everything in her world went dark.

Scared students anxiously made their way towards the awaiting airships at the port so they could vacate to the safe zone established in Vale. Blake barely noticed them pass by, as she lied curled up on the cold hard ground next to Yang's comatose form. The Belladonna girl hadn't let go of her partner's hand or stopped crying since Ruby and Weiss left to find their friends. The guilt seized her body to the point where she felt sick because her worst fear had become a reality: someone she held dearly being hurt by her past. It wasn't just anyone… it was Yang; the girl she opened her heart to and cared for more than anyone.

"Blake…" Sun's voice said softly. She opened her eyes and tilted her head slightly to look at him through her bleary vision. "We've gotta go."

Blake sniffled then looked around. "But Weiss and Ruby aren't back yet," she protested.

"Neither is Jaune or Pyrrha," Ren who was kneeling behind her next to Nora added worriedly.

Nora gave all of her friends an uneasy look and then met Blake's eyes. "I think we should get you two to the airship. Yang's bandage needs to be changed and -."

"Hey! You!" Blake heard someone call cutting Nora's words off. She recognized Yang and Ruby's uncle approaching the group like a bat out of hell. When he reached them, he grimaced at Yang before meeting Blake's eyes. "Have you seen Ruby?" He asked tensely.

Blake cleared her throat realizing how hoarse it was from crying. "She went with her partner to find our friends in the school," she voiced but the words came out unsteadily.

His lips drew in a tight line. He looked around sighting Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck and hurried over to speak to them. Once he was finished he came to crouch at Blake's side. "Listen, that ship won't leave until I come back with Ruby and your friends," he informed pointing to one of the aircraft. "Wait for us there."

The raven-haired girl nodded then watched as the Huntsmen made his way into the school grounds. Blake gave another worried look to Yang.

"Don't worry. I've got her," Nora reassured to her gently.

"Okay," Blake agreed before she reluctantly let go of the blonde's hand. The orange-haired girl delicately picked Yang up from off the floor while Sun lifted her in his arms. The Faunus boy trailed Nora as they made their way to the awaiting military airship. A uniformed man beckoned them inside and Blake realized this particular ship was equipped with several medical beds. As soon as Nora placed Yang on an open bed, a nearby medic went right to work to replace her soaked bloody bandage.

Sun was about to place Blake on another bed but she declined. "I'm fine," she insisted. He eyed her bandages warily but set her down near one of the seats. As time passed, Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck ensured all the evacuees made it out safely.

The two continued to defend the last airship until finally, Weiss appeared at the ramp. Ruby and Yang's uncle came shortly after, carrying an unconscious Ruby in his arms. Blake breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of both of her teammates. Qrow set her leader on the bed next to her sister and gave both of his nieces a dour look before taking a seat.

The two professors joined them all inside looking fatigued and the airship's doors closed. "Wait!" Nora called.

Weiss placed a hand on Nora's shoulder then beckoned her to have a seat. Nora followed her to the chairs but stayed standing next to Ren; their distressed expressions were disquieting.

Blake casted a worried look at Ruby while Weiss took the seat next to her. "Is Ruby... is she gonna be okay?" She asked.

The heiress looked worn down. "She'll be fine. Her uncle Qrow found her unconscious at the top of the tower," she explained in a hollow voice. Weiss dropped her eyes and Blake realized that her teammate was trying to keep her composure. The amber-eyed girl placed a hand on her friend's shoulder for comfort. It wasn't much, but it was all she could offer at the moment.

"What about Jaune and Pyrrha?" Ren questioned carefully as if he was scared to hear the answer.

The heiress looked at her two friends solemnly. "While me and Ruby were looking for them, Jaune called and told us that Pyrrha was on top of Beacon tower. When Ruby went up to get her, a huge flash of light exploded once she reached the top. Her uncle found me soon after. He went to fetch Ruby and I looked all over the school for Jaune but I couldn't find him anywhere and…" Her head hung low.

"And what?" Nora pressed.

The white-haired girl pulled out the familiar gold headdress that their friend wore. "Pyrrha's gone," Weiss whispered before she covered her face and began to weep.

"No…" Nora pleaded, plummeting to her knees in anguish. Ren dropped down after her to offer his comfort, holding Nora as they both wept openly at the loss of their teammate.

Blake's heart broke. Pyrrha was a beautiful soul with a heart of gold. The Faunus didn't bother to stop her tears; her friend was destined for great things and just like that, she was gone. She let those tears fall for Penny as well. Although she didn't know the girl very well, she was a kind soul who didn't deserve the fate she met.

The sound of their weeps filled the white noise of the airship's engines as the craft glided into the night sky en-route to Vale. It wasn't long until the ship landed at what Blake assumed was the safe zone. As soon as the aircraft's doors opened, a hysterical looking Jaune stormed inside. Blake was glad to see he was okay, but an unsettling feeling formed in her stomach at the thought of him finding out about the news of his partner. "Where is she?!" He demanded to the mournful group. His face paled when he read his teammate's faces. "N-Nora?"

The orange-haired girl's face contorted in agony. "Jaune… she…"

The boy didn't need her to finish. He staggered to the far wall then all but collapsed down to the ground. Sobs convulsed his body shaking his entire frame. The sight made Blake's heart ache for him, he looked utterly broken. A pit formed in her stomach, she had been so close to watching Yang meet the same fate as Pyrrha.

Suddenly Adam's words hit her like a tidal wave and knocked her breath away. "As I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy _everything_ you love!" Raw terror thrashed within her as she looked around the room at all of her friends. Something like a premonition played clearly in her mind. A conscious dream of Adam cleaving and hacking through everyone she held deeply in her heart; everyone in this room. The very worst part of it all was how she could envision each of their terror-filled eyes when he plunged his sword into their hearts before they vanished into dust.

_My god… what if Adam followed her here and brought the White Fang and more Grimm?_ She ruminated. Her watery gaze locked onto her vulnerable partner. "Starting with her," Adam had promised before he ruthlessly dismembered the person who Blake thought the world of.

The amber-eyed girl clutched her knees tightly to her chest as a revelation dawned on her. She couldn't stay, she realized. To protect the people she loved -to protect Yang- she needed to run.


	7. Chapter 7

Several Atleseian guards made their way inside the airship. "Weiss Schnee," one of the guards with a chiseled jawline announced. "We've been looking for you. Please come with us immediately."

The white-haired girl's eyes widened. "Why?" She demanded.

"We've been ordered to take you to the general. He wants to ensure your safety and he has arranged a place for you to stay until we can get a grasp on the situation."

The heiress attempted to portray an undaunted façade but Blake could see the panic in her blue eyes. That look of dismay triggered the Belladonna girl to react. "She's not going anywhere!" She challenged, standing up from her seat.

"Please!" Weiss stood as well. "These are my teammates and friends. Don't make me leave them."

The soldier gave her a grim look. "Listen, we have our orders from our commanding leader himself. You're more than welcome to talk to General Ironwood when we bring you to him."

"Let's go kid," Ruby and Yang's uncle Qrow declared to Weiss. "I'll go with you to see Ironwood and help you plead your case," the dark-haired Huntsman insisted as he rose from his own seat and took a sip from a flask. "Besides, I've got some things I need to sort out with him." Before he walked off, he eyeballed both of his nieces and looked at the guards. "Make sure they get the medical attention they need," he ordered to one of the soldiers in a no-nonsense sort of way. Blake wasn't sure if the man had any military authority, but something in his tone imparted that he wasn't playing around.

The soldier voiced his acknowledgement. "We will."

Weiss gave Blake an abnormally anxious glance. The raven-haired girl tried her best to offer a comforting look back, but it was muddled with the feeling that this would be the last time she would ever see her teammate again. She forced herself to stay rooted in place, vigorously fighting off the urge to hug the heiress. Eventually, all she could manage to offer was a subdued nod. This at least seemed to be enough encouragement for her teammate who nodded back then trailed Qrow, the two professors, and the soldiers.

Jaune rose from the ground, hastily heading for the ship's exit while wiping tears from his face. The Faunus figured he was going to find somewhere to be alone, but Nora and Ren trailed him worriedly anyway. "Jaune! Wait!" She heard Nora call from outside.

The ship grew eerily quiet with her and Sun being the only two left on board. He approached her looking mournful. "I'm gonna go find my team and make sure they're situated," he explained, glancing back to Yang and Ruby. "You gonna be okay for a little while?" He asked.

Blake couldn't look at him so she picked a spot on the wall behind him to stare at. "Mm-hmm," she answered.

He placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Hey, we're all sad about Pyrrha and Penny, but we've gotta be strong for our friends now. Okay?"

Her head dropped at his words. She didn't know the first thing about being strong, not like Yang. Adam was right, she was a coward but really, what other choice did she have? Without warning, Sun's arms wrapped around her into a warm hug making her frame tremble from the overwhelming emotions threatening to take over. "Hey… everything will be okay," he soothed.

She didn't think there was any truth to his words but she accepted his embrace because simply put, she would miss him. "Okay..." She managed after a few heartbeats.

He pulled away to look into her eyes. "I'll be back in no time."

She nodded and watched him head for the exit. A soldier passed him heading for the sisters to wheel them off of the airship. "Wait!" Blake called causing the man to freeze by Ruby. "Can…can I just have a minute before you take them?"

He looked at her with confusion but shrugged. "Sure," he answered and then walked off of the ship again.

Blake approached her leader and grasped her hand. A fresh wave of tears stung her eyes while she looked at the serene figure. She willed Ruby inwardly to take care of Yang, feeling too choked up to actually speak the words.

She released Ruby's hand and reluctantly turned to face her partner. Decidedly, she wouldn't leave a letter or any way for anyone to trace her. It was better for everyone if they couldn't find her and in Blake's mind, it would be better if everyone hated her. She reasoned if they did, somehow they would be protected from Adam and his promise to destroy everything she loved.

Still… the fact that she would never look into Yang's beautiful eyes cut her insides to pieces. Her tears were flowing freely down her face now. She reached with a shaky hand to push a strand of hair behind her partner's ear and let it remain to cup her cheek. Dammit this was hard. To think, once upon a time she thought that leaving Adam was the most difficult thing. But _this_, it felt like she was ripping a piece of her heart out… a piece of her soul.

The Belladonna girl brushed a soft kiss on the blonde's lips before heavy sobs broke her down. Her resolve faltered; she didn't think she could go through with it. The Faunus grit her teeth and wiped the tears from her eyes. She compelled herself to summon the vision of Adam slaughtering her friends again. Blake allowed the hallucination to play out in her mind, watching him kill over and over again. When Adam reached Yang, he sneered before thrusting his red blade straight into her heart. She could vividly see the light drain from those lilac eyes until they were devoid of life.

She used that image to rip herself away from the blonde. When her legs wouldn't work, she imagined her partner's form disintegrating into dust and floating away with the breeze along with Blake's heart. She forced herself to take a step back and then another. Blake closed her eyes and turned away from the sisters because if she looked at them again, she knew she wouldn't be able to go through with this. She trudged her way to the ship's exit and once outside, she ran.

* * *

Yang blinked her eyes open once, twice, then a third time. Her mind felt jumbled and the brawler was finding it difficult to decipher her proprioception and surroundings. Slowly she registered that she was lying on a bed in a dark tent-like structure illuminated by a single low light overhead. Her expression reflected the confusion she felt once she noticed that she couldn't move her right hand. She couldn't even feel it.

Something stirred in the corner of her vision and the blonde realized that she wasn't alone. She looked to her left and saw Ruby asleep on a bed next to her with Weiss sitting on a chair by her sister's feet cradling her head in her hands. "W-Weiss?" Yang croaked in a hoarse voice.

The heiress shot up to meet her gaze. Relief appeared on her teammate's face. "Yang…"

The blonde attempted to smile but it appeared as a grimace. She looked around the space trying to figure out where they were.

Weiss read her disorientation. "We're in Vale," she explained. "The Atlas military established a safe zone in the industrial sector. A lot of the students are hunkered down in the warehouses and tents for now." She leaned back in her seat and hugged herself with her arms. "They're working on evacuations to get people home."

"And Ruby?"

"She's going to be okay."

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief before closing her eyes and settling back into the bed. The room grew silent and Yang attempted to move her right hand again. "Weiss?"

"Hmm?" The heiress answered quietly.

"My arm… it's gone… isn't it?"

"…Yes," Weiss whispered.

The blonde pressed her lips together then took a deep breath to steel herself. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes gradually to survey her right arm. Once she saw what remained of it, her head plopped back onto the bed; a stray tear flowed down her cheek. Abruptly, the brawler's eyes snapped open, alarm taking over as her memory caught up to her. She sat up and trained her sights back to Weiss. "Wait, where's Blake?!"

Weiss was watching her with concern but she tensed at the question. "I… don't know?" She winced. "She brought you to the landing zone for evacuation and we flew on the airship together, but when we landed some soldiers took me away to see the general last night."

Yang felt slightly relieved that she got away from the dark figure but she was still unsettled. "I mean, she's gotta be in the safe zone somewhere right? She was stabbed for crying out loud!" The sound of her partner's agonized cry rang in her mind like a cruel reminder.

The heiress just stared at the floor with her brows furrowed. Suddenly the tent opened revealing a pale man with white hair and a large moustache, wearing a white double-breasted jacket. He was a stark contrast to the dark evening backdrop. "Dad?" Weiss blurted.

"Daughter. I'm glad to see you're well." Yang almost cringed. That's how this guy showed his relief after what his daughter had been through?

"T-thank you, sir." Weiss said, sitting up a little straighter. "What's happening?"

Her father entered the tent completely and laced his hands behind his back. "Since last night's series of events I've made arrangements to come here immediately and take you home." He looked around the tent and didn't bother to hide his distaste. "Let's go… now."

"But-" Weiss began.

"Now!" He ordered. "I have an airship ready to take us to a neighboring city and tomorrow morning we're flying back to Atlas." His tone didn't leave room for arguments.

The heiress looked like she wanted to protest again but she choked on a sob instead. Yang watched her shoot a doleful look to Ruby and offer her unconscious form a gentle but firm hug. Then she got up and tenderly encircled Yang in her arms. "I'm sorry…" She whispered plaintively before letting go and storming out of the tent leaving her father behind.

Sadness sunk into Yang as she watched her teammate walk away. Unexpectedly, the blonde noticed someone hovering by the entrance and it made her breath catch. She couldn't help but to feel alarm at the dark figure that resembled the one who recently maimed her. Once the boy was illuminated in the low light of the tent, Yang let her breath release realizing it was just Sun.

Weiss' father made his own exit but the brawler didn't miss the repulsive look he casted over his shoulder to Sun's back. _What a bigot_, Yang thought, her eyes turning to slits. She was glad that the Faunus boy was completely unaware of the insolence happening at his back.

"Hey," Sun greeted.

Yang snapped her attention to the blue-eyed boy. "Sun! Have you seen Blake?"

He crossed his arms and stood at the foot of her bed. "Yeah," he admitted.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, so where is she?" Yang pressed. He looked strangely afflicted. Every time Yang talked to the boy she could count on his good-natured attitude, but right now he was making her uneasy. "Sun…"

He took a deep breath and kept his eyes closed as he spoke. "Don't be mad at me, okay?" He peeked his eyes open to look at her. Yang nodded perplexed. "Last night, when we landed everyone left the airship until it was just me and Blake. I told her I was going to check on my team and I left, but like an idiot I forgot my Scroll on the ship. When I went back, well… I saw her kiss you and I moved out of eyesight so she wouldn't see me." He put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I'm sorry!"

"Sun, it's fine. Where is she now?"

He cleared his throat and couldn't quite meet her eyes. "She… left." He revealed glumly.

Yang's heart dropped heavily somewhere deep in the recesses of her stomach. "She left," the blonde repeated unable to recognize her own hollow voice.

"Yeah." Sun nodded with frustration. "I followed her for a bit, but she's gone."

Although the boy continued to talk, Yang's shock didn't allow her to hear any of his words. Her hand brushed her lips in an attempt to will her subconscious to remember the ghost of her partner's kiss. She couldn't believe it; what reason would Blake have to up and leave without saying a word?

"I'm sorry…" Sun apologized before leaving the tent. The brawler watched him go but her gaze remained unfocused as numbness overcame her, trying to wrap her mind around Blake's departure. She remained in that benumbed state until the next morning when her father and Qrow came to bring her and Ruby home to Patch and it continued for several days after.

Since being home, Yang sat in bed most of the time looking fixedly out of the window. At night she could admit that she was scared to sleep; fear had been the only emotion she registered. She continued her daily routine of peering out of the window and reflecting how her life had gone completely haywire in the span of a few short days. The school she had called a home was no more. Her right arm had been severed from her body. Penny and Pyrrha were gone. Her teammate Weiss was taken away and she didn't know if she'd ever see her again. Each of those things felt like a gash to her heart that would undoubtedly leave their scars. Yet, the fact that Blake…

"Hi, sweetie!" Her father greeted gleefully, disrupting her brooding.

Yang didn't take her eyes from off the window. "Hey, dad," she responded dryly. She sensed her father walking closer to her bedside.

"I brought you these to brighten up your day! Can you believe they're still in bloom?" He said placing something on her nightstand and taking a seat at the edge of her bed. "I think that's a good sign that you'll recover soon."

The blonde turned her head and saw the vase full of sunflowers next to her lonely Ember Celica. Yang blanched at the sight and returned her gaze to outside. "Thanks…"

Taiyang's face fell. "Oh! Ruby's up!" He brightened.

The brawler let out the hint of a smile. "I'm glad."

Her dad placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, you know you're going to get through this. We're all here for you, okay?"

"I know. Thanks, dad."

Taiyang stood to leave but stopped at the door to give her another worried look. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour." He said quietly. "Please… try to eat something tonight."

Yang didn't respond and listened to his footsteps grow softer as he left, turning her attention back to the window. "Yang?" Ruby said in a low voice by her door, but the blonde didn't answer. She kept her gaze outside until she sensed her sister leaving. She sighed, her sister just wanted to check on her after she'd been a coma for several days.

"Ruby…" she said faintly into the silence. When Ruby turned around, Yang couldn't help the tears pooling at her eyes as she looked at her sister.

Her little sister hastily made her way to Yang's bedside and wrapped her into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"…But I'm not." She revealed. Yang expressed her sorrow about the school and her friends who died, becoming choked up.

"Yang… Where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby inquired.

Yang's eyes widened at the mention of Blake's name. The blonde explained how Weiss' father came to take his daughter back to Atlas after the tower fell and the Atlas military began attacking the school. "She's gone," Yang revealed.

"But what about -" Ruby sputtered.

"And Blake ran!" Yang cut her off, voice full of exasperation. She broke eye contact with her sister as she spoke, "Sun saw her go. After we got to the city… she just… ran." The blonde couldn't hide her confusion and frustration. This would be the first time she admitted Blake's actions out loud since Sun's disclosure and the force of the acknowledgement hit her like a hurricane. For days, she'd lived in a state of denial not wanting to believe that her partner would just up and leave without a trace.

"But…why?" Ruby squeaked.

_Why_? That question transported Yang back to the day she told Blake about her mom abandoning her. _That question…why?_ She remembered telling Blake. "I don't know… and I don't care," She divulged unable to keep her sister's gaze.

Her sister tried to plead a case for Blake, saying that she must have had a reason to go, but Yang didn't want to hear it. "Sometimes bad things just happen Ruby," the blonde cut her off again, repeating her uncle Qrow's words.

Her sister grew quiet at that. "So what do we do now?" She asked softly into the silence.

"You can do whatever you want… I'm gonna lie here." She hung her head and trained her eyes to the floor.

"Yang…" Ruby pleaded.

"Just leave me alone," the brawler requested.

She could sense her sister's apprehension but the younger girl made her way to the door anyway. "I love you," she called from the threshold before turning away to leave.

Like a floodgate, all of the emotions Yang closed off over the last few days poured down to her heart in torrents. Anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, and bitterness; they were all there making her eyes pool with tears. She swiped them away with her remaining hand, trying to get a handle on them before they took over.

It didn't work. Her breathing came in jagged gasps and she made the mistake of looking towards the door. Those damn sunflowers caught her attention and she cut a sob at the painful image reminding her of the night she shared with Blake. It was too much to bear. She stood quickly and made her way to remove them from her room.

She grasped the vase with a quivering hand, feeling helpless once it slipped through her fingers. The object crashed to the floor followed by the horrible sound of glass breaking. Yang flinched at the sight of all the broken little vase pieces on the floor surrounding the flowers. It was a visual representation of how she felt inside… shattered. Her knees wobbled and she dropped down openly weeping at her loss.


End file.
